Palestinians in final steps to apply for UN status upgrade

The Palestinians started their final steps at the UN for an application for upgrading their status to that of an observer state, a Palestinian official said Saturday. The Palestinian mission to the UN distributed a draft resolution to the 193 members of the world body, trying to set an appointment for a voting session, said Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator for peace process with Israel. "The distribution of the draft resolution is a final step to enable states to present their notes on the application," Erekat said, adding that this is part of the Palestinian and Arab consultations with the UN members, which aim to garner as much support as possible. The application is considered by Israel as a unilateral action and is likely to widen the gap between the Palestinian leadership and the United States. Washington thinks the statehood that the Palestinians hope to declare in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem must be resulted from a negotiated agreement with Israel. But the Palestinians do not seem to be backing off from their UN bid. "The vote will be held this month according to an unalterable decision taken by the Palestinians and the Arabs," Erekat said. Palestinian newspapers published the draft resolution Saturday. The three-page draft affirms the "Palestinian people's right of self-determination and independence in a Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders." Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, said Saturday that the Palestinians are ready to return to the negotiating table after the vote is done. The Palestinians are confident in getting enough votes in the UN for the status upgrade through the General Assembly, where there is no veto power. Last year, Palestinians' bid for a full state UN membership failed as they did not garner enough support at the Security Council amid U.S. opposition.